This annual report is released to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The study covers homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender, and uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report. This year's report applies to 2011, the most recent year for which data is available.

"The sad reality is that women are nearly always murdered by someone they know," said VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand. "Already, many elected officials and community leaders are working tirelessly to reduce the toll of domestic violence. Yet despite these efforts, the numbers remain unacceptably high. We need new policies in place from local communities to the federal government to protect women from harm."

"Nine women each week are shot to death by their husband or intimate partner," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "That's nearly 500 domestic gun violence deaths each year — more than twice the number of servicewomen killed in military conflicts since the Korean War. We urgently need better policies that protect women and their families from this senseless violence. No American, adult or child, should live in a perpetual state of fear. It's inhumane."

Below is the complete list of the 10 states with the highest rates of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2011:

Rank State Homicide Rate, Females Murdered by Males

1 South Carolina 2.54 per 100,000

2 Alaska 2.01 per 100,000

3 Oklahoma 1.99 per 100,000

4 Delaware 1.92 per 100,000

5 Arizona 1.84 per 100,000

6 Tennessee 1.80 per 100,000

7 Idaho 1.77 per 100,000

8 West Virginia 1.70 per 100,000

9 Louisiana 1.67 per 100,000

10 New Mexico 1.62 per 100,000

Nationwide, 1,707 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2011, at a rate of 1.17 per 100,000. For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 94 percent of female victims were murdered by a male they knew.

Sixteen times as many females were murdered by a male they knew (1,509 victims) than were killed by male strangers (92 victims). Among victims who knew their offenders, 61 percent of female homicide victims were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers.

In 87 percent of all incidents where the circumstances could be determined, the homicides were not related to the commission of any other felony, such as rape or robbery. For homicides nationwide in which the weapon could be determined, more female homicides were committed with firearms (51 percent) than any other weapon. Of the homicides committed with firearms, 73 percent were committed with handguns.

Please view the full report to find additional details on the study and a full page of data for each of the states ranking in the top ten. To view the full report, please visit http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2013.pdf.

About the Violence Policy Center

The Violence Policy Center (www.vpc.org) is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the Violence Policy Center on Facebook and follow @VPCinfo on Twitter.

About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Much like Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to change laws regarding drunk driving, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created to build support for common-sense gun reforms. The nonpartisan grassroots movement of American mothers is demanding new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. In just nine months, the organization has more than 100,000 members with a chapter in every state in the country. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter: @MomsDemand.